Geopolitical News from the modern world

France

France has condemn Donald Trump’s comment that armed civilians could have stopped the 2015 armed attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. In a statement, the French governement declared that Paris is calling for “respect for the memory of the victims” after Donald Trump used the 2015 attacks in Paris to defend the right to carry a weapon. François Hollande, president at the time of the attacks, strongly denounced Donald Trump’s “shameful” remarks. Furthermore, the National Federation of the victims of attacks and collective accidents (FENVAC) called the French diplomacy to “react”.

In view of the European Parliaments elections scheduled for the 23 to 26 May 2019, far-right leaders gathered in the southern French city of Nice in order to lauch their continent anti-immigration campaign. National Front president, Marine Le Pen, was joined by Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom, Harald Vilimsky of Austria’s Freedom Party and Czech nationalist Tomio Okamura. On that occasion, it was claimed that a far-right majority in the European elections was possible and it could change Europe, insisting on the possibility to create a Union of European Nations. Ms Le Pen argued also that Nice which has a diverse population, suffered strongly from migration which changed its face.

Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Dimitrov, in the framework of his first working visit to the French Republic, met with his French host, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drion. At the meeting, the Ministers expressed satisfaction with the mutual efforts for introducing new dynamics in the political dialogue, which is in function of enriching the overall bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the French Republic. In the conversation, Minister Dimitrov stressed the importance that the Republic of Macedonia attaches to relations with France, both bilaterally and in the context of the European and Euro-Atlantic future of the Republic of Macedonia.

He confirmed to his French counterpart that the Republic of Macedonia is trying, through its pro-European foreign policy action, to be a serious and credible partner to the international community. MFA Dimitrov also met his French counterpart with the reform activities undertaken by the Government in the light of the European and Euro-Atlantic integrations, but also in a wider context, in the context of the role of the Republic of Macedonia, as a catalyst for regional cooperation and stability. Minister Dimitrov also met with Philip Etienne, a diplomatic adviser to French President Emanuel Macron, where he argued why the Republic of Macedonia is the opportunity for joint success in the Balkans this year.

According to unnamed sources Saif Gaddafi is still in Zintan and he is in contact with international figures for his political ambitions. In particular, France is using Saif and backing him up in order to overcome the influence of the UAE in Libya.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the French consulate in Jerusalem to protest what they called France’s support for subversive activities against Israel. The demonstration, organized by the organizations Im Tirtzu and Israel Is Forever, was held following the accusation of two agents of the French Consulate accused of smuggling dozens of weapons from the Gaza Strip to Judea and Samaria. In addition, the participants called for the consulate to stop funding “anti-Israeli” radical NGOs working against Israel and accusing the IDF of war crimes. In recent years, the French consulate has channeled over 750,000 shekels ($ 215,000) to far-left Israeli NGOs, including “Breaking the Silence”, “B’Tselem” and “Yesh Din”.

The “secret-defense” occupies a central place in the French democracy: 400,000 people authorized in the state apparatus in 2017, 4,000 security officers in companies and administrations, 5 million classified documents and parsimonious access imposed on historical archives. It will be reformed by the end of 2019, announced the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security. This body dependent on the Prime Minister publishes his second report on the subject hoping to make “the pedagogy to Parliament and opinion”. Interdepartmental dialogue is underway to meet two priorities: “Facilitate data exchanges with allied countries by aligning classification levels” and “Improve the protection of classified information in the face of the cyber threat”. The leading allies of France, have equivalent classifications and the reform will aim to facilitate bilateral intelligence exchanges, but also in NATO and in the European Union, which have enacted common frameworks.
Of the three levels of classification – “confidential defense”, “secret defense” and “very secret defense” – only the last two will remain. In fact, the vast majority of information, classified “confidential defense” will be integrated at the top level “secret defense”. Most of the operational documents (military operations, encryption, cyber operations), as well as research data presenting a proliferation risk for weapons of mass destruction and the information of nuclear deterrence, are included in the highest classification. The government is also “thinking” about a way to facilitate access to historical archives, with a semi-automated opening system when prescription dates (50 years or 100 years depending on the case) are reached.

Captured in July after the fall of Mosul, the three women are awaiting trial. On Sunday, a German jihadist was sentenced to death in Iraq. Three French women are being held in Iraq for joining the Islamic State group. They are currently awaiting trial, in a country where they risk the death penalty. The first, aged 28 from the Lille region, left in the Syrian-Iraqi zone in 2015 with her husband, who was reportedly killed. The second woman, Melina, 27, from Seine-et-Marne left France in 2015. “We do not know what exactly he is accused of, what are his conditions of detention and if he has the means to defend himself”, said his lawyer Martin Pradel. “We expect from France, if Melina was to be sentenced to death, the same intensity of mobilization that it has deployed or deploys for other French sentenced to death, including Serge Atlaoui”, said his lawyers William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth. The French authorities have made intensive diplomatic efforts to prevent the execution of Serge Atlaoui, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia where he is accused of drug trafficking.

PJSC Ukrtransgaz and Powernext (France) intend to cooperate in the creation of spot and futures exchange markets for gas trading in Ukraine, the company’s press service has said, with reference to the signed memorandum. “For Ukrtransgaz, this is another step towards integration with European gas transportation operators, a further development of the gas market in Ukraine”, the report said. According to the press service, Powernext is the provider of the pan-European gas trading platform PEGAS, which allows market participants to sell natural gas at 12 hubs in nine countries. Today it is the main trading platform for natural gas sales in Europe. After establishing cooperation with the Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) in 2016 and integrating the Czech gas pipeline into the PEGAS platform in December 2017, Powernext began to integrate into Eastern Europe.

France has a continuous dialogue with Azerbaijan, the main economic partner in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan wants to diversify its economy, the exchanges will make it possible to take stock of projects involving French companies, particularly in the fields of energy, transport, environment, urban development and tourism.
The ministers will also discuss relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union, regional security, as well as the settlement process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian will insist on the importance of implementing the decisions taken by the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents during their meeting in Geneva on October 16, 2017. He will assure his counterpart of France’s full commitment to the efforts of co-chairing the Minsk Group to find a negotiated and lasting solution to the conflict.

Firmness and humanity. In his speech in Calais, Emmanuel Macron wanted to reaffirm the two principles that guide his immigration policy. In front of security forces, the head of state reiterated his commitment to fight illegal immigration. “By no means,” he promised, the state “will allow a jungle in Calais, where a vast slum of more than 8,000 migrants was dismantled in October 2016.” Everything is done to ensure that the illegal passage is not possible in Calais “, which” is not a backdoor to England,” he said, assuring that the state would not allow “to build illegal pathways in this region.”
Macron reminded to all associations responsibility in their action with migrants. “Those who encourage these women and men to stay, to settle illegally or even to go to Great Britain, take on immense responsibility and never will they have the state by their side “, he said. He also announced that the state will take care of the distribution of food to migrants, until then provided by the associations.
But Emmanuel Macron called also the police to be “exemplary” with migrants, not carrying out any violence or confiscation of their belongings.